The Monster of Swan Lake
by Dinglehopper27
Summary: Based on the old tale. Eleanor is princess with a adventurous spirit. When one day she meets a familiar stranger, with a deep dark, fanged secret. She'll have to choose between standing up for him or loosing him to the darkness that surounds the forrest. Please R en R. Rating will change to M once the bonus chapters are up.
1. Prologue

Our story begins in a land far far away in a time long long ago. It is a tale about friendship, adventure and maybe even love.

It all started in the big castle where a young princess lived. She was always packed with energy and happiness, always looking for her next adventure. One day it was climbing the highest tree in de garden, the other it was trying to skate across all the little streets of the nearby village.

The servants had to run from left to right and up and down to clean up the mess she made behind her. Once it was washing all the linen in the castle after her mud adventure. Then another time it was clearing up the streets because of her unplanned horse race with the neighbouring King. As narrator I must say that was a show to watch, and definitely because she gave the old man a run for his money. Of course not all the people in the village were as happy as she was at that time.

The Queen couldn't laugh with it. She would rather see her daughter sitting behind books and behaving like a proper princess, than having her behave like an unstoppable bouncing ball. So she would make plans that involved studying from dusk till dawn. No wonder the little princess would sneak away so often to the Enchanted lake.

It wasn't always called like that. The original name was called Swan Lake. named after the gracious swans that made it their home. The surface of the water would sometimes be coloured white due to all the feathers. Every morning they would sing their ballad but now…

A few years ago some horrible accidents started happening in the forest, that reached the lake. anyone that stepped a foot inside, disappeared. People grew fearful, no one dared to come near. Rumours started rising amongst the people. Even in the castle hung a cloud of anxiety. On the walls of castle stood guards day and night and on each entrance to the village stood a person on guard for monsters.

The path through the thick trees was only used in necessity to reach the village on the other side of the eerie lake. Some who stopped heard noises others heard voices calling to them from within the bushes.

There was one person who dared to go beyond the first trees, little princess Elly. It took all the servants plus cook and guards to keep her away. But at times when her mother's lessons got so dull there was only one option, leave and discover the mysteries the forest offered.

And today was a day like that. She had just woken up and a maid was already at her door with three ball gowns for her dance classes. First it was traditional dance then folks dance and after that ball etiquette on the list. She hadn't yet finished putting on her first dress or her mother was busting in through her door. She gave her daughter a glance and then focused her attention on the maid that helped her. With a sharp voice she spoke,

"Can you be anymore slower than that? Don't you know what time it is? Eleanor should have been in the lesson two point four minutes ago! What is the point of making a schedule if your two can't even follow it?" She sighted and threw her hands in the air.

She kneeled down next to the little princess and kissed her cheek and in a softer voice she said, "In another two minutes I expect you to be down stairs in the dance hall…"

And with an ice cold voice she threatened the maid, "…don't be late, you wouldn't want Us to get angry now would we?" She stood up patted her skirt and walked away, her head held high and shoulders broad. The door closing behind echoed a little after. The princess and the older maid could only stare.

After the dust settled they both sprung to work. Eleanor hasty put on her dress and the maid put the finishing touches on her hair. The two ran after the Queen, through the door, down the lively castle halls, and glided over the grand stair cases to the main ball room. The older maid had forgotten a stair tread and came tumbling down. The little princess stopped abruptly in her path, gave a quick glance at the clock and scurried to her older friend. She knelt down, took her arm and ran further to the nearest chair. She made sure she was alright before storming off.

The last second ticked could just be heard when Princess Eleanor stood in the opening of the grand doors to the room. Her mother stood waiting next to the pianist looking on her monocle. She put away and stared deadpanned at her daughter.

"Well, I'm glad you _do_ have a sense of time." She nodded at the pianist and the music began immediately. A boy that she hadn't seen earlier swooped her up in his arms and they began their dance. She gave a surprised look at her mother before she exclaimed,

"Where does he come from? Mommy?"

"My name, my pretty love, is Prince Andrew. I'm the Prince of the country by the sea." He said extending his arm making her do a spin. She gave a quick glance and then back at her mother's smug facial expression.

"Nice to meet you but I'm afraid my mother is planning things that she shouldn't meddle with." The little princess bowed to him and stormed off without warning. The queen gasped at her words, while the princess her little dance partner could only laugh. "My Your Majesty I 'can't help to think where she got that attitude." A blush rose up the face of the Queen. With hasty worlds she spoke, "Well I don't know _what_ you heard but I can assure you I wasn't as _remotely_ as bad as her." She emptied the wine glass she was holding and stormed of as well.

Before she stepped across of the threshold of the room she looked back at the prince and with a velvet like voice she spoke, "I will make sure that side will be gone before you will return." After that she was gone as fast that you could blink.

Meanwhile in the completely different side of the palace a little princess was sneaking around as usual. She had momentarily hidden herself behind a closet to avoid a butler walking in the opposite direction. When he was enough behind her she gave quick glace around before escaping her hiding place and fast walked to the kitchen.

There was a small door under the broom closet that lead to a shed at outer wall of the castle gardens. Via that door you would escape to the edge of the forest. No one in the entire castle had discovered the path way yet. A few cooks had been a little suspicious of the odd hatch on the floor, but most of them discarded as place to keep rice or grain dry. No one had caught on the fact that there was a certain wild little princess that liked to use it as a route to escape her duties and mostly her mother's schedule.

When the Princess reached the door the kitchen, she noticed a few of the maid, footmen and cooks still there to prepare lunch. She made sure to avoid them seeing her by crawling on the floor between their legs. By the time she had reached the door to the broom closet, was her face and hair covered in dropped flower and pieces cut lettuce for the salad. She closed the door behind her as silent as she could and waited till there was no one close to the door. When everyone was away she started moving the boxes and opened the hatch. She waited and gave a quick glance to the door and room behind it. She could only just hear some of the maids talking. She ignored them and went through the hole in the floor.

In the underground tunnel it only got worse. Her feet were soaked, a cold shiver ran across her back. With the lantern she had prepared she shone behind her. After a quick glance at the cold stone walls, she decided there was nothing out of the ordinary and ran to the exit. She might not have _seen_ anything weird but she was certain that there had to be at least one rat that she missed. _Or maybe something else_ _…_ Another shiver ran through her spine at the thought. She remembered the maid's words, "There was this morning another body found. I heard it from the guards earlier. What do you think it could have been?"

She hesitated for a minute but decided that it might be better to go through the tunnel than confronting the danger that was her mother.

Back above the ground, the sun had started shining, casting a beautiful glow trough the crooks and nicks in the wooden walls of the shed. The outside breeze gently made the dust swirl in the light. The big door had rusted even more than last time and the old gardening tools were covered in weeds, and even though there was an ant nest right next to the hatch to the tunnel she loved to come here.

She gently closed the hatch behind her and made a way through the in ages not used materials to get to the big old rusted door. She could only just reach the door knob with her head. On hand clung to the handle and the other pushed with all the power her little body had. It took a moment but after a few tries the door finally budged and with a swing she was met by the bright light of the warm summer sun. In the distance she could hear the birds chirp and the rustle of the leaves were like an echo that spread through the forest.

She took a deep breath and stepped from the wooden panels in the shed over on the mush warm grass. And like that it was as if the castle and her responsibilities faded away in the background. Her first step led to the next and before she knew it she was capering about the forest ground. She passed the old oak tree, then stopped to pick a rose from the assortment of bright coloured wild roses and finally stopped on the familiar path to the lake.

You could still see the old stones of the path that used to connect the castle and the lake. the marble shimmered under the thick layers of moss. It was a bit slippery but Eleanor managed not to fall. Her ballerina slippers were obviously not made to go running through the forest with. And she was probably going to have to explain how they got dirty to her maid again.

She made her way down the rocky and overgrown stairs to the old square. It used to be a part of the castle's gardens. Its main purpose was to entertain guest from all-over the land with the big and grand festivities that were held at the lakeside. They would party from evening to dusk. And there would be fireworks set of over the Lake. Small boats would fire them and their candles lit up the entire surface. It was a party of colour to behold and al held a sense of fun. In the evening people would gather around a bon fire and tell stories.

Eleanor couldn't quit remember it. She was only so small back then and now, now there were only ruins. The docks that used to be filled with merchants and fisher men enjoying a booze, were pushed back in the sand; some pieces of the food stalls lay on the bottom of the lake together with the name plates that they held. The grandiose statues that decorated the pillars around the square that lit up on evening dances were now covered in ivy and climbing flowers. Nature had claimed back what was his again and all and every piece of marble was covered in moss or weeds. The linen robes that were used for shade in the hot summer were all gone and a deck of leafs and sticks replaced them in their task. But even though it looked like a forgotten world over run by plants, it still held a certain grace that it used to, maybe in another way but grace none the less.

The little princess moved her hand over the old railing of the stairs, gently as to not disturb the little insects that made the moss their home. She could not with al her power see the bad in this place. To her it was a place filled with memories. When she looked at the path to the water she could see all the people that had taken the path before her. She could see the old governor try to dance on the square and some of the towns folk stuffing themselves full of food at the what used to be a buffet table. It brought a sense of sadness to her to see how many memories were lost. From where she was standing she could just see one of the high towers of the castle. It made her think if her mother ever visited this place like her. _Probably not._ Was what she thought thinking back at this morning.

She went to the lakeside and splashed some water on her face. the cold temperature did wonders on her warm skin. The sun was still shining bright and the temperature was only rising. She held up her skirt and stepped in the cold water. It did wonder on her bare feet. She leaned down and looked at her image on the surface of the water. Her hair and dress were a mess due to the adventure in the kitchen earlier and her hands were full of mud because of ladders in the tunnel. She leaned over and cleaned her hands in the water. A cold gush of wind rushed towards her, originating from the forest. She turned around only to be met by big green eyes.

A boy stood right in front of her, only a few dozen centimetres from her. A screak left her throat and she tumbled backwards, landing on her bum in the cold water. Her dress was instantly soaked. she stared at him with wide eyes, for a moment she was scared that he was the person behind the disappearing. But after a closer look she realised that there was no way. He looked like a simple peasant kid. He was dressed in basic clothes, brown pants and a linen shirt, noting special for a village boy.

She felt a bit embarrassed by the way she was startled and gave him an angry stare.

The boy could only laugh for he has made a royal princess almost wet herself. Feeling a bit sorry for her he offered his hand to help her, but she declined, pushing his hand away from tried to get up on her own. He gave her an annoyed look because of her decline and placed his arms behind his shoulders. "Well, I'm sorry I only wanted to help." He huffed.

Her head shot up to look at him, angry eyes peered through his skull. He tried to look away but was trapped in the intensity that the two blue eyes held.

Growing angrier and angrier she spoke, "You wouldn't need to help me if you hadn't _pushed_ me in the water in the first place." She started walking off back to the castle but was stopped by him saying, "Hey, I didn't _push_ you, you fell in yourself."

She turned around and walked back dawn the first steps of the stair to face him. With her head held high she spoke, "That might be but it was still _your_ fault I fell in." The boy's face grew red with anger and he stamped on the floor before yelling, "I only wanted to have some fun, I'm sorry if you can't take a joke."

A gasp left Eleanor's mouth before she yelled back, "I'll have you know I have a great sense of humour, and you could hardly call _that_ a joke." A curious look flashed across the boy's eyes before daring her, "Then what to _you_ call a good joke? Oh master of fun." He made a little bow before letting her speak.

She thought a for a moment about his question. She had come up with a lot of practical jokes but none came to mind, not when he was staring at her with those bright green eyes. She got so nervous her mind drew a blank. After a minute she confessed that she didn't know any at the moment.

"What was that?" he asked her, making her feelings of shame even bigger.

"I told you I don't know any now, oke! I swear I know good ones; I just can't remember any now." The boy noticed her blush and change in posture, he thought that she might cry and dropped the subject.

A grin spread across his lips and he extended his hand for the second time that day. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. My name is Darius." She lifted her head and wiped away the tear that had almost fallen. "I wasn't going to cry."

"Oh, please. You would." He huffed.

"Would not!" She placed her hands on her hips and stared deep in his eyes. The boy named Darius did the same before he too started tearing up, but this time because of the lack of blinking.

She smiled when he gave up and started wiping his eyes.

She gave a little bow to him and announced her name, "My name is Eleanor, princess of this small kingdom." Darius looked up and surprise spread across his face.

"Wait, you… you are the… the…" He stammered.

"…The princes." She finished for him, "Yes I am, so that will learn you not to play a joke on innocent girls."

"Innocent huh? If you are then what are you doing here?" He asked. A drop of sweat glided down her cheek and a nervous tone presented itself in her voice, "I… I'm aloud here. And what about you? Huh are you supposed to even be here?"

"No, but I wouldn't lie about it." He said proud, as if declaring to have won in the game who could be the most rebel, or that was Eleanor thought anyway.

"Than what are you doing here, if I might ask?"

"I wanted to see if the rumours were true." A cold feeling surrounded her again and made a shiver run down her spine. After all her adventures she knew the forest inside and out she hadn't noticed anything weird. _Yes, the forest had that constant eerie feel but there was no way there were actually monsters were there?_ She glanced at the boy sitting next to her again, he looked as if waiting for her reaction. With a soft voice she spoke, "Don't get your hopes up, I have come her a lot before and I haven't seen anything."

He stared at her for a moment and for a while she thought she might have hurt him by saying that. He interrupted her line of thought and said, "Alright, but what after dark?"

She gulped looking in his eyes, searching for the fact that he might have made a mistake, but alas, he was sincere.

"you don't actually want to do that do you?" she asked a touch of fear lingering in her voice.

"and what if I do? You said it yourself that there was nothing." It was true that she had said that but sometimes she herself didn't belief her own words. Going to the forest at night was one thing but actually going at night was something completely different.

"I know but what if there is?" she asked.

"Then that's even better, don't you think? Then we'll finally find out if the rumours are true or not." The enthusiasm in his voice scared her more than the actual danger of the forest held at night. _Wait did he just say WE?_

"Oh no! I'm not going with you at night!" she exclaimed standing up. There was no way she would go out there at night, even though it might promise a wonderful adventure, she had made a promise to her mother and father. Besides this guy was crazy he didn't know anything about the forest.

"Why not princess would it not be a great adventure." He nudged her side as a way of convincing her. But she was to determined. She tried to convince him against but like her would change his mind. After a while the little princess decided to go against her fear, and promise, "Fine I'll go with you, else you'll only get lost and then I'll feel guilty about it." He already started cheering before she interrupted huis parade, "But only if you promise to listen to me and not to run off to somewhere else."

"Don't worry Princess, I'll protect you." He said grabbing her hand and holding it close to his heart. A blush crept up her cheeks and made her look away.

"We will meet here tomorrow evening at dusk, oke?" he nodded and they both went their separate ways.

The next morning when Eleanor went to have breakfast, she heard two footmen talk about yet another missing person, only this time they had a name. Darius.

She stopped dead in her tracks and walked to the two men. They were both startled by the little voice. They looked down and saw her standing there, big round eyes filled with worry. "Where can we help you with Your Majesty?" One of the two men asked kneeling down to face her at her eyelevel. "You said Darius? What were you talking about?" The man exchanged a look with his partner and gave a small sigh.

"You know how some people don't come back from the forest?" The little princess nodded and the man continued, "This morning they found a man at the side of the road. It was the baker from the village at the other side of the lake. He and his son were traveling via the road yesterday evening. The forest took them away from us, like the other victims."

"You shouldn't say those things to a child." The other man interrupted, patting the shoulder of the other man. "Where are they, is Darius with his father." The princess asked, scared for her new made friend.

The men exchanged some looks again before one spoke, "He wasn't with his father. He is still missing…" She gasped and stumbled back, before she could ask for Darius the man continued, "The man died, he and his son might have been attacked by wolves, by the look of his wounds."

Tears started to pool in Eleanor's eyes and before soon she was crying, her hands went up to stop them but it only got worse. The fact that he might be hurt brought sadness to her and the feeling of uselessness. She wanted to go help them but the footman grabbed her arm. Even with all her strength she couldn't escape the hold on her arm. She started yelling and hitting him, causing such a commotion that soon the entire castle was gathered in the hallway.

The king and Queen came storming through the layers of personnel, pushing them aside to see their daughter. Eleanor was nestled in the arms of the footmen on the floor. He softly whispered that it will be alright in her ear but the tears wouldn't stop. The other footman that was with the two filled in the King of what had took place while the Queen took the little princess in her arms.

They brought her to her room and the servants all went back to work after a lecture from the main maid.

In the room of the princess, tried her parents to calm her down but to no avail, ending in leaving her alone. Eventually she stopped when she had no more tears to cry. A day or two had passed after she came out of her room again. But she wasn't the same, the happy boll of energy that she was before was gone. All the maids tried to cheer her up but nothing worked, for every time she almost smiled she also remembered the grin on the green eyed boys face the moment she fell in the water.

But, even though it took her at least 2 years to regain her smile, that fire that she once held was gone forever.

Well forever, I wouldn't say for it is true that they might meet again.


	2. Chapter 1: Hitting the target

Our story goes on.

The accident with Darius was ten years ago. The castle, and it's in habitants had moved on, for he and his father weren't the only ones gone missing in the past years. Thought it had been one of the more notable disappearings. The baker would travel between the two villages bringing fresh baked bread every morning to the people who wished for it. And so every morning, the village main street would smell of fresh made cookies and pastry. Now it only smelled of flowers from the florist or like coal from the smith.

The upbeat mood was gone and the feeling of absent was felt even more due the lack of a certain princess that would make every cleaners life hell. Before she used to run around playing hopscotch over the newly cut hedge or play hide and seek with anyone that had time to spear. This day, the streets were empty, a few children playing in the corner with their dolls or a stand of two of the locale shop keepers, but not the festive ambiance that would cover the region like before.

Even princess Eleanor herself would wonder why, but every time she did the memory of the guard telling her Darius was gone, came back. Instead she tried to focus on her studies like her mother wanted. Working from sun rise till sun set. Talking only breaks for eating. But every so often her eyes would dwell from her book to the forest tree line and further. Bringing with it an array of day dreams she used to play out. In one of such, she was a gallant knight saving a dog from a tiger, in the other she would travel the land and become friends with a magical space squid.

Her mind would sometimes be so lost, that it took a strong shout from her tutor to bring her mind back to his lessons. The boring never got away, no matter how much you want to distract yourself in work. And after a while even her favourite dance class wouldn't keep her focused. That's when she had asked the second lieutenant to start teaching her some more exiting classes, well, more exciting than dancing anyway.

At first her mother, like with everything, was against it, but after seeing her smile for the first time in a while made her rethink her schedule and class subjects. However, the princess hadn't counted on her mother going overboard on. Well maybe she _did_ , after al it was the same woman who could plan the trip for the ambassador all in one day.

The classes had started small, mostly given by the lieutenant himself. Focusing on self-defence or basic manoeuvres. By the time it was the fifth lesson, she was asking for something more challenging. Knowing her mother, she had suggested to stop and stay with how the lessens were. The Lieutenant however liked the idea and after some discussion with the King himself he was given permission to turn it up a notch.

Bringing us to today.

One arrow has already hit its mark; the audience is holding its breath while the princess biases her next one. With a smooth motion it is released, and flies through the air like bird diving for its prey. Time seemed to stop, waiting for the result of her shot. One moment the arrow was in her hand and the other, it is being pinned in the hay, hitting her mark of by two centimetres. The onlookers all clapped their hands. The princess made a small bow to her fans before aiming again for a following shot. Before she released, she cast a glance side way to her friend and study companion, and with a cocky voice she said, "Hey Huebert, what will you do if I hit an even harder mark than the last one?"

"Then at our next meeting I will wear a jesters' uniform. That is, if you can aim _that_ good." He said smug, in his tick Irish accent, pointing at the head of one of the plant sculpture's a few dozen meter further. She followed his glace and aimed again, this time releasing the arrow in a more upward position. The audience that had presented itself in the garden held its breath with anticipation. Some were maids on a break, another the gardener himself, even her other teachers had come to view what the fuss was about.

A loud "It's a hit!" could be heard from one of the gardeners' assistants. The crowd let a loud felicitation towards the princess, as if they were at a high end horse race. She made small bow and turned around to look at a baffled Huebert, with a pat on the shoulder she whispered, "Don't forget the jesters costume next time."

When she walked back to her stand point she noticed that she was smiling. It had been awhile since she had last let a decent laugh and the promise of the old fool dressed as an actual fool made her fill up with joy. Her teacher, the lieutenant, interrupted her laughter with some of his own, "If you can hit that _far_ , then I guess you really are getting better, and here _I_ thought I was a horrible teacher."

"Oh no, you were a _wonderful_ teacher, I cannot be happier to have a teacher such as yourself." His eyes shone bright and even began to tear up, at the words of the princess, "Thank you my lady! That is so kind of you." He made a small bow to her as a sign of appreciation. She blushed at his sudden formality and glanced around to hide her embarrassment.

The man got upright and whispered a next target in her ear. A grin of mischief appeared on her face as she pulled a new arrow from the holder. The lieutenant gestured to the people to quiet down as the princess slowly biased her arrow with the thin string. The onlookers had once again gone silent. Everyone waited in anticipation for what her new target would be. She leaned far back and pointed the arrow head to the stick of a flag mast. Like before the arrow launched itself as soon as she let go of the cord. It made its way to the post, but missed. Barely scratching the surface before flying over and landing in a bush behind.

"So close your majesty." Her teacher said, "Better luck next try- "

He was interrupted by the clatter of heals on stone. In the opening of the inner wall stood the Queen, her shoulders were laid back but her eyes burned with intensity, and anger. The lieutenant, as well as the rest of the personnel watching made a bow in her direction and went to work, some gave the princess a small signal of "good luck" before leaving her and Huebert standing alone on the grass field. The Queen was about to storm towards her daughter before a clicking sound was heard. She looked up and her gaze was met by a falling cloth. She tumbled down on the ground under the weight of the flag. Eleanor and Huebert ran towards her to help but it wasn't longer needed. The queen had gotten up on her own and somehow the earlier look in her eyes had grown even more intense.

Huebert nudged Eleanors arm slowly. He whispered his leave in her ear and with a bow to the Queen, walked away. Now it was only her and her mother. She gulped nervously as she met the older woman's brown eyes Seconds felt like minutes to her. When she finally gathered enough courage to open her mouth and speak, was she interrupted by her mother's sharp voice, "At first I was only going to be mad about your tardiness. But now..." she eyed the flag post above her and continued in a disappointed tone, "Do you wish that the _entire_ castle gets demolished?" Eleanor looked down at her feet. She tried to apologise and say she didn't mean to, but was interrupted by her mother speaking for her. This time in a calmer, more soft way, "Of course you don't." she gave a sigh and tried to fold up the flag at her feet.

"I only came to say that there I a visitor that wanted to see you. So I'll let you go this once, but make sure you hurry. It seemed important and with the time you've been waiting here…" Her voice had changed to a mere mumble when she noticed that her daughter was already on her way. she slowly chook her head at the thought _What am I going to do with you_ _…_


	3. Chapter 2: The Mysterious stranger

Eleanor walked around the corner of the hall and stood now face to face to the door with behind, the mysterious visitor. In a nearby mirror she checked her hair and dress for flaws and jikes! She made a quick reminder to redress after practice. She usually didn't pay much attention to her looks. But now was diderent, she looked like she rolled around mud for an hour. That was certainly not a way a princess should look, or so her mother keeps on reminding her. _Hopefully, the visitor isn't too focussed on appearance_ , she thouth.

Having done everything to make herself look decent enough for the so called important visitor, she knocked on the door. A soft "Come in." was heard and she slowly opened the door to the sitting room.

Inside sat a young man was reading a book by the window. He stood up and made a slight bow to the princess. He waved a hand, as sign for her to sit down. She gave a nod and slowly walked over. Standing up had put him in direct eye of the sun. His ginger hair looked like waiving fire in the golden light. And his blue eyes shimmered like morning dew in spring.

 _He's cute._ Rang in her head over and over. She tried to push away the thoughts surrounding his appearance and sat down. The bright crystal eyes stared her down, and she almost felt naked under his gaze as if he was guessing what she was wearing underneath. Beter not, or he would soon find that her self defense classes have thought her well.

With a formal tone she asked, "Is there something you're looking for?" He gave a small chuckle and leaned in the fluffy sofa, an arm leaned back over the edge, giving her eye full. Damn he's cute. He was wearing a similar uniform, that she had seen a lot of royal army men wear. But by non-had she been able to see his muscles underneath like with the man sitting in front of her. The outlines of his muscels stood out firmly in his thight white shirt he wore underneath his jacket. It was slightly visible and she felt drawn to the small patch on his abdomen. When he noticed she was looking, he gave chuckled, creating small dimpels in his cheak. She slightly blushed and looked him in the eyes.

"It is only that it seems you truly have grown up." He anwsered he previous question. A thought flew through her mind. "What do you mean by that?" She asked. courious. _Could it be we have met before?_ She pondered.

"Never mind. It is only... I remember you being more of a free spirit, instead of the serious type." He stated, a soft touch of sadness lingered in his voice. It seemed he was saddened by her lack of emotional energie.

"We have met before." She stated to the unfamiliar face. She was still thinking about the time she had so called met him.

"Yes! But only for a brief moment I'm afraid." He said. She slowly tilted her head in confusion. Every face she had met flashed before her eyes but none had the fiery hair this man had.

"I think I'm going to need more information than that, if you wish me to remember you." She said. He hunched over his knees. A troubled look appeared on his face.

"I see. I presume it wasn't true then?" He asked, sticking to the pronoun game.

"Was what true?" She inquired. A sorry smile showed on his face before answering, "That you were willing to look for a marriage partner. Or so said the rumour." Somehow it didn't come to all that of a shock to her that _that_ was the rumour going around. However, it still tugged at her to want to know where it originated. She knew that her father had been dropping hints lately, about grandchildren and her mother has been constantly obsessed with her love live since she was twelve.

A maid came in and brought each a cup of tea. She eyed the man before her in a lustfull state. But the Ginger headed man deliberately ignored her. He only seemed to have interest in Eleanor. A gesture she found rather unpleasend. She disliked the deep stares he gave her.

"Where, might I ask did you hear this, mister...?" She asked him, still trying to figure out the identity of the man before her. She took the cup from the maid and gestured she left the conversation. She gave a venomous look and did as she was told.

The man still remaind uninstersted wich made the maid only more agitated. Eleanors question made a grand smile appear on his face and he extended his hand in a generous gesture. In a lady like fashion she complied and stood up to take his hand, "My name my Lady, is prince Andrew of- "

"... of the country by the sea, _now_ I remember." She interrupted him. She closed her eyes and shook her head. In thought she gave her mother a curse, for it was probably she that arranged the rumour to get to him.

"Yes, it was quit hectic that day wasn't it?" He said in a gloomy way, staring in his cup. Her mind went back to the events of that day. A sigh escaping her lips. _Why must he remind me?_

"Indeed it was." She agreed, feeling the gloom get to her.

"You know, I had a suspicion that the rumour wasn't going to be true. I bet he hasn't left your mind since, huh?" He asked, hitting the nail on the head.  
She nodded, "Somehow, I keep feeling responsible you, know. That if I hadn't gone to the old ruins that day that, then somehow they wouldn't have gotten hurt." A tear fell on her hand, snapping her attention back to the conversation. "My apologies, I didn't mean to rush out my worries there." She recomposed herself and wiped the tears away, giving the prince a small smile.

He handed her a tissue, giving her a compasionate smile of himself. "It's alright, I don't mind." He made sure she was alright and continued,

"I actually wanted to get something of my chest as well." She was about to question what he meant before he went on, "When I heard the rumours I was honestly glad. You see, ever since that day, I..." A blush showed on his face and with a rater embaresed voice he said, "... I couldn't get you out of my mind. The reason for that day was actually for the two of us to get to know each other better, so if ever the moment came when we would be arranged to marry it would have a better ending. However, the plans were interrupted, due to the incident. Ever since then, I couldn't help thinking about you. And when I heard the rumour I was truly happy that there might be a new chance for us to- "

"Wait! I'm sorry but I am not interested." She interrupted standing up. The hopeful glance in his eyes immediately disappeared and was replaced by a look of shock. A struck of guilt pierced her heart at the sight of the- only a few seconds ago happy as it could-prince and now he himself had tears in his eyes. The proud vibe that he gave of earlier in their conversation was replaced by a cloud of gloom. With teary eyes he cried, "But... I knew it wouldn't be true, I was stupid to belief them in the first place."

She felt sad for him. Only a matter of minutes ago she was sobbing and he was consoling her and now it was the other way.

She scurried towards him and placed herself next to him on the sofa. She slowly stroked his arm. "It's alright. Like you said it is not bad to cry once in a- wow easy there buddy." He had swung his arms around her and cried heavely on her shoulder. softly she patted his back in comfort, even offering him a tisue to blow his nose.

When he was done hugging he slowly raised his head. Their eyes met and he started to lean in. Before Eleanor noticed what was happening, their noses were touching and kept he kept on leaning. Her back almost pressed in the side of the sofa. He closed his eyes and went for the kiss. _My first kiss!_ She wringed out of his hold and with a rather hard shove she pushed him back, right in time. A sigh slipped past her lips at her new found luck. _Thank the heavens he missed._

"Look I get you want comfort, but don't you think that might go to far." She asked.

He blushed and scooted to the side, keeping a meter distance. With a light sob he apologised again. She gave an apreciating smile in return of his appolagie. She didn't want this anymore then the last girl. She felt rather happy for she has know other men that woulden't have kept their distance after a single shove.

The maid who had brought the tea was chuckling in the corner, a witness to the events that had played out. She gave little shook of her head, kind of glad that she didn't persue further earlier. When Eleanor looked at her she mouthed, "I'm sorry, I only make the tea." She gave her a sly smile, one Eleanor wasn't happy with. She focused back on the prince who had layed his head in her lap and was now laying on the sofa like child waiting for a bed time story. She slowly stoked his hair and thought of how he had went from gallant to a whimp in matter of seconds.

In a sad voice he mumbled, "What will I tell the others?"

And then it suddenly hit her. Of course, There _had_ to have been others! There was no way that he would have shown up alone. If the rumours had spread to the land at sea, then it had to have spread to the other kingdoms as well, and who knew how many young bachelors were there hoping for the hand of the princess.

A loud, "What?!" erupted from her lips. She rapidly pushed him from her lap and stood up, hands in her hips. "Speak." She said firmly.

Prince Andrew sat up and slightly backed away from her. his fear made his eyes large, as he anticipated the punishment from the princess.

She followed him with an angry look on her face, backening him into a corner.  
"Didn't I tell you?" He asked innocent. She shook her head and stepped forward again. He crawled into a ball and brought his knees up to supposly protect his vital organs. "Well, I wasn't the only one showing up, you see. But I was the only one let in to see you, due to the fact we had met before... Please don't hurt me!"

When she first heard how many had come to see her, she was flattered. But she knew that there had to be something else that had loured them to the castle. She was known over the lands as 'The Heartless Princess'. No prince or subject was dumb enough to ask her to marry, besides maybe the love sick fool before her. she thought.

She took a deep sigh and stepped back, and asked in a soft yet strict manner, "Prince Andrew, where are they?"

"In the courtyard." He confessed. When she heard the anwer, she stormed out, looking for the nearest window that looked over the courtyard. She opened it with a swing and peered down. Like the prince had told her, there was a horde of men that stood right behind the castle gates. Two measly guards tried their best to keep them at bay. Somehow she knew the guards and sent a small prayer to them, for she didn't want to be in their shoes right now.

The opening of the window had caused them to notice her and so did the dozens of men. before long, they were screaming her name in the hope for attention. They waved and pushed to get closer. It wasn't long for the two guards couldn't keep them back anymore. They slammed in the wall each on the oppisete side of eachother, The iron tubes of the gate ramed in their brused body. The men all stormed in but due the sounds and noised they had made over the hour, other guards had shown up as well. From within the group of guards, her mother apeared. The men all kneeled, she looked over her shoulder to her dauther. Eleanor recognised the look in her eyes from many times before. She quickly started shaking her head and making gestures to her mother as a sign of NO! _Don't, no please gods NO!_ She thought but her mother had done which she had feared the most. She had let them in! She had to fight her reaction to bang against the wall.

"It seems you have quite the amount of admirers." A voice starteled her from behind.

"Father? Don't tell me all this is your doing?" She asked.

"Oh no dear, that would be more something for your mother." He glanced at his wife in the courtyard. "However, ... I do like the increase of chance for grandchildren." _How I could have known he was going to said that._ She thought. A sigh escaped her lips and she shook her head in disapointment.

"Father, I-" She began. The King held up his hand and interrupted, "I am not getting younger Elly. Soon I'll be too old to lead the kingdom and then you will have to take over. Wouldn't it be better if you could do it together with the man you choose? Or better a prince." She tried to come through but he wouldn't let her, "I want to spend my golden years spoiling my grandchildren. And how I wish to hear their little giggles while they play in the castle." His hand went to his pocket and out came a stack of folded envelopes. With a swift movement he handed them to her and continued, "These are all the responses from princes and gentlemen from all over the land. I found them in your mother's working cabinet. She is planning on throwing a big ball again and these are all the men that are already coming. Correction, the _eligible_ men that are coming. It's time that you pick a husband, Eleanor."

"But father! I have no wish to marry. I have still so much to do, like traveling or-." She argued.

"First Grandchildren!" He said firmly, tapping with his finger on the stack of envelopes in her hand. She wanted to protest again but he placed a caring kiss on her forehead and walked away. Leaving her standing in the hall with a dozen or more proposal letters in her hand, and a hundred more panicking thoughts in her head.


	4. Chapter 3: Going to a place forotten

That evening she slowly went through all the letters. She knew she wasn't going to find anything but just to be sure. One by one, she decided whether or not she would be interested. Besides one she had declined all. One had grabbed her attention but after another dozen more letters she looked back and realized that he might not me the one. She fumbled with it between her fingers. Her mind like so many times before dwelled to the day Darius disappeared. she knew that there was only one person she would want to show up on the ball. Unfortunately, his letter wasn't in the pile, and never will be. The thought of seeing him never again brought sadness for the umpteenth time.

By her fiftieth letter she was spend. Her eyes had stared to droop and the fatigue had taken her body. Tired, she lifted her head to look at the time. Twenty past ten. A sigh escaped her mouth. She put away the letters in her cabinet and dropped on her bed. Even changing clothes felt too hard by this point. She rolled over and stared out the window, catching a glimpse of the moon behind the clouds. She thought of all the events of the day before succumbing to the allure of slumber.

When she was almost in dreamland, she was pulled back by her rumbling stomach. Annoyed with her body for not letting her sleep, she opened her eyes much to her minds protest. A glance at the clock told her it was after twelve. It felt too troublesome to have to get up but she knew that there was no servant willing to wake up to make a sandwich. Even if she decided to wake them up, she would regret it for a week. Never make your cook angry. It was a lesson she had learned at a young age.

She stood up and every part of her body wanted to crawl back in bed. Well, all but one, for as her stomach growled again wanting food.

She tiredly made her way to the kitchen using only a small candle, so not to wake anyone. Arriving in the kitchen, she spends roughly a few minutes finding something normal to eat. Something that wasn't dried prunes or the oatmeal cooking for tomorrow morning.

She had opened every cabinet and every drawer but could not find anything. _Where in all the land, do those cooks keep their food! It's a kitchen for crying out loud._ She thought, pondering where they could have hidden the food. She knew most of the ingredients were delivered fresh in the morning, but there had to be at least one thing that remained from dinner. _Apparently not._ She sighted. There were a few cupboards, that might have held food but they were locked.

She stood up and gave a last look around, hoping to find a place she hadn't looked yet. And She did. Unfortunately, it wasn't the place she was hoping. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a crooked door that led into the brooms closet. Was she really that desperate for food, that she was going to look there? A loud stomach growl answered her question for her. "Apparently I am." She whispered.

She made her way to the door. Hesitant she opened the door and peered around. A haze of dust and musty air blew in her face. She gave a cough and a sneeze. It had obviously seen better days. On the rack were a few jars of more dried prunes and one carrot. One single carrot. Disappointment filled her as she grabbed the carrot. Due to her clumsiness she let it fall on the sandy floor. Of course.

She bended down to pick it up despite the fact that she would much rather sleep in her warm bed, than crawl on dirty floors. It was rather dark and she couldn't quit see what was before her. She felt around in the hope of latching onto the carrot. Instead she noticed a hatch. It was old and rusted, the wooden floor around it creaked yet it brought so many memories to Eleanor. She pondered over her choice for a moment. Last time she went through the hatch she had suffered great loss.

She wondered what it would be this time. Feeling the spirit of adventure come back to her, she opened the hatch, grabbed the candle and her courage and went through.

She landed on the bottom of the hole. Her feet were immediately soaked as she landed in a puddle. The tunnel was like it used to be, dark, moist and cold. And rats. "Never forget the rats." She mumbled.

She tried to avoid stepping into more puddles, but there was no avoiding the soaked shoes. "Why am I doing this again?" She asked herself.

When she almost reached the exit, she stopped and listened, for it was still the Enchanted forest. A place where monsters roamed at night and took the lives of any who dared to enter. She pondered for a moment if it would not be better to just return home. To her warm bed and maybe ask her favorite maid to help her find anything. Then again, the maid will probably be annoyed and give her a lecture of not waking her up. She had already come so far, it seemed pointless to return without seeing the outside at least.

She had dared to go up when she was younger but back then she had only come in the day. Now it was different. For if legend was true, monsters roamed at night, not only around the lake but in all corners of the world.

She opened the door of the shed as silent as possible. She glanced through the opening to make sure it was safe. The moon shone high in the dark sky. Stars danced on the black canvas and it was a beauty to behold. It wasn't as visible inside the castle due the lights lit inside and out. A gush of wind came in the shed, making her feel cold almost instantly. She was of course only wearing a nightgown.

The grass felt cold around her feet. It was winter, but the snow had not fallen yet, instead everything was covered with a thin layer of frost. The moss was slipperier than last time and she had some trouble keeping herself on her feet. When she finally reached the top lookout over the lake, she must have had fallen at least several times. A few bruises were sure to show up in the morning.

The lake was beautiful under the moonlight. The water so calm and flat, like a mirror, any movement underneath the surface caused a ripple to occur, that made the stars high in the sky dance like fairies over its surface.

Unlike in the day, it was quiet. The sound of the birds was gone and only the soft pebble of the brook could be heard. It made her feel tired even more. The gushing of the wind was like a lullaby making her eyes droopy. The marble railing felt so inviting and the cold was numbing on to her skin. She leaned forward on her elbows and studied the stars in the reflection on the water. She didn't know if it might be the hyperthermia or just the fact that it truly was an enchanted lake, but it made her feel oh so sleepy. She hunched forward even more, letting her arms support all her weight on the railing.

Eleanora was so caught up in the silence and the beauty of it all, that she hadn't noticed that someone had managed to sneak up on her. They had come in complete silence. Making no sound appearing. The figure cast a long glance at the girl before them, as if mesmerizing every line on her body. It stepped closer to have an even closer look as to who was before them. But so they made their fatal mistake. A twig snapped underneath their feet. Eleanora immediately spun around to face her attacker. But instead of an attacker she was met by the deepest pools of green, an eye shade so green she knew she had seen those eyes before.


	5. Chapter 4 Eyes like the forrest

Eleanora spun around to face her attacker. The deepest pools of green swarmed her vision. Fear engulfed. Her breath was caught in her throat. Her heart hammered in her ears and she could feel the blood rush through her veins, adrenaline doing its job. How had he been able to sneak up on her? He had made no sound and seemed to have come out of nowhere. His eyes pulled her in like a deer caught in head lights. Unable to move despite the common flight or fight reflex.

It was deadly quiet. Any movement made noise. She could only back away so much until her back pressed against the railing. The man remained still and unmoving. His eyes followed her every movement. It felt like any moment he could break the silence and leach out. _Was he the monster they spoke of?_ She thought. A million thoughts ran through her mind, all telling her to run. Telling her that it wasn't safe to remain here. But she couldn't move. Her body was frozen. Due the cold and the lack of sleep and food, it felt tired. She couldn't move an inch if she wanted to, it all hurt. _Is this how I die?_ She wondered, afraid that she was staring certain death in the face.

The man still didn't move, nor did he leach out or attack her. It was like he was observing her more than thinking of a way to attack. But still it didn't feel right. _Why was he here? Where did he come from? What does he want?_ Where all questions she wondered.

The pending silence felt eerie as they both stared each other in the eyes. Her crystal blues against his deep forest greens. She didn't utter a sound, for if she did she might evoke him. The moment either moved the silence would be gone and danger might follow.

"Please don't be afraid." The young man said, breaking the silence she had grown fond of in the last seconds. It had given her a false sense of safeness. And wait… _Did he say NOT to be afraid?_

Instead of fear, there was now a mist of confusion in the air, mostly surrounding her. His voice had been a deeper tone than she expected and his eyes sparkled with sadness. _Why would he be sad if I was afraid?_ She wondered. Despite the tone of his statement she remained wary of his actions. If he moved she would run. She kept telling herself.

When he seemed not to, she cautiously asked, "Who… who are you? Are you the person behind the disappearing's?" She tried to appear brave but her voice betrayed her. Giving with a sliver of fear and nervousness. The thought that this was the end for her swarmed her mind. Every move he made put her on edge. She had nothing to protected herself with, and nothing to defend her with. If only she had taken her bow with her. She gave herself a small scold for not thinking of.

He slowly shook his head and stepped back, showing her that he meant no harm. He gave a gentle smile. It made her feel safe all of a sudden. A warm fuzzy feeling started in the back of her mind. But she argued in her head that it was probably a trick. Her eyes were still firmly following him and she remained anxious of his actions. He looked composed and dangerous, ready to kill. But strangely that smile had made her relax slightly, if only for a little bit.

"Why are you here so late?" He asked. She was taken aback with his question. _Why would he ask that?_ She wondered what his intentions were. Did he wanted her dead or did he wanted to help? He sounded like he himself didn't know. What was he? A concerned guard rather or a ruthless assassin. Or maybe she was still dreaming, after all she was sleepy in the cold, maybe it was all the hyperthermia messing with her head.

Carefully she answered, "I'm here for a breath of fresh air. What about you? What is the reason you're here?"

He waited a while before speaking. His silence made her nervous and his green eyes wouldn't stop looking at her. She felt compelled to do the same. His blond hair glowed in the moonlight giving a contrast to the dark back ground. Strangely she felt calm, it felt like she had seen this scene before. It created a sense of Deja Vu.

She was afraid he was almost not going to answered. After all he did not have a reason to answer her, he could walk away and it would be like he had never been there in the first place.

But the way he had cared for her safety earlier had told her he might still answer.

With the same deep velvet voice he had spoken before, he said,

"The same." That was all. No more information. She was unsettled by his answer. She had hoped for more. Maybe a reassurance that he was indeed not there to hurt her. Or maybe she was just over reacting with it all. Maybe he was only on a midnight stroll like she was. Only time might tell.

The staring contest the two had been holding came slowly to an end. He looked over his shoulder to the deeper darker part of the forest and with a thoughtful voice he said,

"You should go."

Startled she asked him why. _Was it the monsters, and so did he actually know what they were?_ She gulped at the idea. _If so, how many are there truly out there?_ He had to give her more information. This might help!

But unfortunately he didn't answer those quotations, instead he settled with the obvious, "It is not safe here." Maybe he didn't know the answer or maybe he just didn't want to tell her the reason.

His voice had sound dry and emotion less, yet strangely held some compassion. Like some small part of him did indeed care what happened to her. Had he not tried to sneak up on her a minute ago. Why give such a scare if he indeed never meant to harm her.

 _But what if it was all a plot!..._ She mentally slapped herself. _I HAVE to stop reading those novels Martha gave me._

After all, besides that one smile, he hadn't really made much facial expression, mostly keeping with a rather calm aloof face.

"Why not?" she dared to test his statement. The words escaped her mouth. Her curious mind had asked them before she even noticed.

He remained quiet. Saying no words and only staring at her with those big green eyes. The eerie silence started again. _What was he trying?_ She wondered. Why answer certain questions and others not.

She decided to asked again. This time harder and more demanding. It seemed it worked and he responded, "Monsters."

"Really?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow. All the fear she felt earlier had slowly gone away with his statement. She could only stare at him dumbfound.

He nodded in all seeming seriousness. The laugh she got out of him slowly faded and the tension arrived again.

"How do you know?" she asked him tying to match his cold tone.

"I just do, princess." He answered. She was a little surprised he knew who she was. Of course with in the castle everyone recognised due to her outfits, but here in the forest? With only a night gown on? What was he stalking her? She gave a scold in her mind, why did she had to bring that thought up. As if the evening wasn't unsettling enough.

She was about to ask how, but he interrupted and said,

"Please go back to the castle, my lady. You're not safe here." He sounded like a gallant knight, she thought. He gestured to the path in hoped she got the message and went home. unfortunately, or not, for him, she was rather stubborn and stayed.

With hands on her hips she demanded, "If it's not safe, then why are _you_ here?"

"I'm familiar with the danger. You are not." He said, rather deadpanned.

Her curiosity got the better of her, "You know what roams the forest?" she stepped forward, encircling him with her eyes. He couldn't help himself looking in the intensity of her crystal blues.

"Something bad, you should leave." He said with the same level of concern of earlier.

"So you aren't going to tell me?" She asked letting her shoulder sack and her hands fall beside her body in disappointment.

He shook his head apologetic, "My apologies, I can only say that it will hurt you, if it got the chance. Take it from me, I have face the monster before." Before she got to nurture her curiosity again he made a gesture to follow her, he grabbed her by her hand and let her via an unknown passage deep into the woods. When he noticed she was actually following and not trying to wiggle herself free from his hold, he let go.

By know she was off the known path and due the darkness of the forest she had no idea where she was. Making her practically stay with the mysterious stranger.

The silence between the two felt unbearable. Since they started walking he hadn't said a word. Every time she wanted to ask about the monsters, there happened to be something. He made a signal to keep say nothing. He made a gesture that he was listening to their surroundings but she didn't hear anything. By know she wondered if was only doing it to avoid her questions.

With a steady pace he walked in front of her, every so often looking behind him to see if she was still there. Their eyes would meet, and it felt hard to pull away. Mainly because she saw a chance for another round at questions, but on the other side it felt like something more. It reminded her of the first time he spoke, that deep voice that rippled through her. Those deep green eyes. The fact that he seemed to care for her safety and knew who she was. _How did he know that anyway?_

"Say, you know my who I am, how did you- "

"…know that you're the princess?" He gave a small chuckle, the first one she had seen him do whole evening, but still didn't answer. His laugh slowly faded away, bring the silence with it; he gave a slight apologetic smile and turned around. The eye contact broke and she was left with staring at his back again. He seemed so familiar just now, that laugh, the cocky way he had said it. There was almost something that clicked but then it didn't.

Somehow having this man protect her felt nice, safe. She started to feel calm around him, every movement he made her trust him more and more, pulling her further away from the fear she had felt earlier. Like he was her knight protecting her from the surrounding darkness. A spark of warmth flowed through her at the thought and a rosy shine covered her cheeks. _Was this his plan? Did he want to lure me and steer me farther away from the palace_. Only the celestial gods knew where she was and where he was talking her.

The next time he turned around, he noticed her blush on her cheeks. He opened his mouth. She was anxious to hear what he wanted to say but he kept quiet and turned around. He had brought her hopes up and then let them crash.

Later they arrived at a spot where the moss was extra slippery. She had almost fallen, if it wasn't for the strong arm of the man guiding her. The feeling of his arm around her torso made her cheeks burn. He looked down at her in his arms and their eyes met. She could see confusion passing behind his eyes. She wondered as much as he did she was reddening in the face. That single movement and touch had made her hear go in overdrive. It felt right for a reason. She even pondered over leaning in for a kiss…

 _WAIT What!_

Quickly she tugged at his arm, so he'd release her. She struggled remaining upright and had to use his arm as a railing. He was happy to assist. Supporting her with his rather muscled arm. The knightly act made her red even more, her blood boiling. Her head would much rather stop the intimate act and get back to the silence of before. She felt like a girl discovering boys exist for the first time. She already had gone through that enough. There was no need for yet another love sick fool showing up today. Her mind dwelled back to the events of that afternoon.

When the contact finally secedes, she felt cold. It was as if only now she realised that it was actually freezing outside. Could it really be because she was dressed only in a night gown or was it actually more? Had that brief touching really rallied her up so much?

"Be careful." He had said to the small figure in his arms. A held back smile appeared on his lips. He lifted her out of his arms and got her back on her feet, before continuing with her walk. He had made sure she followed before going there fast pace again.

She glanced from her feet to his firm backside. His hair gently wiping at the back of his neck, every step he took. It was a little long but didn't yet reach his shoulders.

A gush of wind came, it made his golden lock dance like leaves in a storm. That same gush had blown her hair all over the place, mostly blinding her. She tried the comb them out of her hair but without it would be pointless. The hair in her eyes had caused her to miss the direction they were going, straying from the make shift path. A soft tap on her elbow, brought her back in the right direction. The man noticed her hair and helped her comb her it away. His thumb stoked her cheek and ran down her jaw to end resting beneath her ear. The same rosy feeling of earlier came back. His hand slowly drew circles under her ear. Bringing with an arousing feeling. They were so close.

This time it was him who pulled away. His face went back to the emotionless façade she had grown used to in the last hour. The way he changed between caring for a second and aloof stranger was so quick. They might have been two different people if that was all she knew. She was rather taken at back. she had hoped that she had at least made a little impacted on him. But by the way he reacted it seemed she didn't. instead he remained as cold as before and continued walking. She let a small sigh and followed.

When they turned left, she finally realised which path they were taking. She had walked this way before. Like she predicted, they arrived at the outskirts of the forest, nearing the village. Through the tree line, she could see the lights of the street lanterns and the guards standing on the tall walls. The gate was closed and locked, so there would be no danger from outside. But bad luck they were outside and walking all the way back to her secret passage wasn't really possible with her energy.

They stopped a few trees from the border with the forest.

"I have to leave. Please be more careful if you go out again." He said bending down to take her hand in his. A small kiss was placed on her cold hands. His felt warm in hers. Of course he was wearing good winter attire. His kiss was soft and fleeing. It was gone before she even felt it. her heart made a small skip at the action.

He gave her a small smile with a bow, before he turned around, ready to go back to the place he came from. Wherever mysterious young men hanged around these days.

She couldn't just let him go yet. Her arm shot out and grabbed a piece of fabric of his jacket.

He turned around and gazed at her coolly. He had done his duty, she realised, there was no point sticking with her. But she couldn't help herself to ask, "Wait you haven't given me your name yet. Please, can't I at least know the name of my rescuer?"

She blinked her eye laches in a quick rate. A look she had seen other girls put on to seduce their man. However, unlike the easy going guys of the village, he was different, he didn't really care for flirting or pretty girls, only one mattered for him. He gave a sigh at the princess' actions for attention. He knew it was only for show. That she wasn't like those girls. He glanced back towards to the forest and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad. Please understand, I can't." At least he gave her one hint, he thought.

She was about to ask why he couldn't but he vanished in front of her eyes. Leaving her standing alone in the cold winter night. The wind howled around her, giving her shivers all over. She pondered a moment if she would go after him even if he didn't reveal his name, he might reveal something else.

A loud wolfs howl, together with another huge gush of wind made her decide on no.

She made quick sprint out of the forest. Entering a place of warm yellow light again. She looked over her shoulder for a moment, wondering what had actually really happened. It was like it hadn't caught up with her. It still felt like a dream. As if she was now walking up and everything that just happened hadn't.

She knocked on the metal bars of the gate. The clicking echoed through the opening in the tick gate. A guard came to see what was making the sound. He noticed her in her nightgown. He was rather startled. Thinking she was a scared lost girl, he helped her inside of the village. He asked her what had happened but before he could get a word out, she fell in his arms. He was just able to catch her. She didn't move, a very small breath flowed in and out past her lips. _Thank the gods, she is alive!_ The poor guard thought. He panicked when he realised he had a half-naked girl in his arms, this late at night. He wondered what had made her shown up so tired and in such a state of dressing. His mind wandered to the attacks, thinking might be victim of another attack.

The guard called his friend down from his post. The other man was rather grumpy for it was late, cold and now he had to deal with whatever his buddy was yelling about. He nonchalantly walked over, gesturing to his friend to calm down. Still wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"What's it now? Didn't ya see I was fine on ma post?" He asked but was answered by the small figure of the princess laying in the lap of his friend. He freaked out for a moment. His friend didn't understand why his was so upset. He shouted at how he could be such an idiot. He even slapped the back of his head, telling him, "That's the _princess_ , ya numbsuckel!" Carefully he took the unconscious girl in his arms and wrapping his uniform jacked around her under cooled body. When she was getting a bit more colour in her cheeks they decided it was alright to move her.

They sprinted to the palace. The guard on duty, helped them, taking over her body and carried her to her parents. They placed her in her bed. The following day, they were going to have a firm talk with her.


	6. Chapter 5 Kitchen rumble

The next morning, she had woken up rather grogy. Her body still ached from last night. Its still dark outside, oly a small sliver of the sun was visible over the horizon. Snowflakes swirles down past her window. Each seemed to lower the temperature inside even more. Eleanor quickly covered herself again with blankets. _It is far to cold to go outside._ She shivered. Dispite the fire that was still burning in the fireplace, it still felt as cold as it probably was outside.

She stared at the snow. One by one the flakes swirled down, making the memory of yesterday evening all the clearer. It seemed the more she stared at the snow, the more his face came to light in her mind. She remembered every detail of his beautifull sculpted face, those deep almost alluring green eyes. He had scared her so much, when he had first apeard, yet now she couldn't help but long to see him again. It felt so strange. The way he had hold on to her when she had fallen, the softness of his grip. The warmth redating from him.

The tought made crawl increasingly deeper, into her warm blakets. Until only a few hair ends popped out. she curled herself in a ball, savouring her own warmth.

Yesterday she had grown so cld that the docter almost thought she wasn't going to make it. her parents had brought her to the nearest fire to warm herself. A dozen maids were woken to ready warm soup and coco. Eventually she was warm enough and she was brought to bed. A big hot-water bottle was place beside her.

Now it had cooled down signifinatly, it was almost as if she was warming it, instead the other way. Her figers skimmed over the rough leathery texture. her mind wondered over the face of her saviour/attacker. She couldn't help but laugh. If he hadn't been there she would have gone home all the faster. Instead he caused the opposite of what he had wanted.

He had said multiple times that he wantd to help her and keep her safe, yet he hadn't given her a reason. _And how did he know me anyway?_ She thought. Had he really been there to help her? Or had it been actually for something else?

The more she tought about her mysterious stranger, the more she realised he was that more mysterious. He hadn't given away anything. Not his reason for being there, not how he knew where to find her. He didn't even give her his name when she had asked. Did she ask? Her mind was still hazy, the cold had taken its toll on her memeory. _Had it truly been hyperthermia?_ She wondered, her mind going back for a last time to those big green lit eyes. Something felt familiar when thinking about him, yet she couldn't put her finger on it. It seemed to slip her past her every time she had almost find the reason.

Her stomage had growled a few times, besides her noticing. Her mind still lost in the events of the day before. When it growled even louder, her attention snapped to her growing hunger. She suddenly remembered the reason for last night stroll.

She still hadn't eaten anything besides the warm coco the maids had brought. She checked her bed site clock. The tiny hands, pointed at six fifteen. She rolled her eyes and crawled back under the fluffy blankets. She wanted to go to bed so bad, but the growling woke her up even more than the cold she felt when popping out her head.

Slowly she raised herself from under her duvets. She thought about ringing the bell, to all a maid. For the same reason as last night, she dicided against. She strolled to the nearest warm spot she could find. Close to the fireplace. She searched for her bath robe. An old blanket was all she could find. They must have taken her robe of when they had found her last night. Knowing her mothers' lady in waiting, she must have orders to wash it immidiatmy. She gave her a small scold. She could really use her robe now.

The castle walls were thick. Yet somehow the cold managed to slip through it's tiny cracks. An aray of wall tapastries covered the walls but even they couldn't withstand the temperatures from the outside.

She slipped in her slippers and slowly shambled through the hall.

Half way to the kitchen she found one of the morning maids walk past her in a hurry. A worried look was plastered on her face. The linen in her basket dropped from side to side. She was even so in a hurry that she hadn't even noticed them falling. Eleanor who noticed, called her back. The maid's eyes grew large and with a stutter she said, "P-p-p-Princess! Wha-what can I help you with?" she looked at the wall clock and gulped. "You dropped this." She said in a more motherly voice than she intended.

The maid bend down to pick it up but in doing so spilled an even bigger part of her load. She gave a sigh before hastily putting it all back in the basket. When she reached the handkerchief Eleanor pointed at, she said "Thank you." And left.

Eleanor was almost going to call her back again, to ask why she was in such a hurry but decided not to. It was probably better to let her go to where she was destined than to delay her for a stupid question. She was sure it would be answered soon anyway. If only she would be more careful. She thought, lingering at the way she had left. Worrying a bit that the maid might even hurt herself. She was quiet known for her clumsiness, and mostly with the queen. The amount that she had yelled to the girl was most defiantly the record under the castle staff. She thought back when she herself was like that. She would run around and bump into everyone, causing trouble and broken china to follow wherever she went.

A few corridors further she spotted a footman in the same hurry as the maid was, this time it was a plate with cups of tea and cookies he was carrying. Like with the maid she had let him go off to the place that was in desperate need of; black tea and _strawberry cookies?_

When he sped past her, she took a cookie of the plate. She glanced behind her to see if he noticed but he appeared to focused on his running, then on missing cookies. She made sure no one was looking and stuffed the cookie in her mouth. It was sugar coated, yet remained dry on the inside. It might have stopped the growling of her stomach but know she was rather thirsty. When the next footman appeared at the other end of the hallway she put her sights on a glass of milk.

 _Whoever needs this many footmen to carry their breakfast, can surely miss on glass of milk._ She thought. Unfortunately, the footman had seen her and also the devious glint in her eyes. When she made her move for the glass, the footman took a gracious curve around her.

She fell face down on the floor. The footman stopped abruptly and let a small curse fly. He turned around and tried to help the princess. He-oh -so hoped she was alright, for the gods themselves did not want a replay of last times events. It was rather known under the footmen and they would see her crying like a plague and avoid it as such.

It appeared that she was alright and there was no reason for him to worry. She was a little moody because of sleep deprivation and hunger but nothing worth worrying about. He asked her if she needed help getting up but she simply answered, "No thank you, I rather remain here, if you please." Surprisingly it was fully sincere, not a hint of sarcasm hung the air, like it usually did. The footman let a soft laugh and stood up, taking the tray with him and continued with his order. When he almost turned the corner he looked around to see if she was still there. The princess had remained laying on her belly in the middle of the carpet. It seemed she was lost in thoughts. A smile crept up on the man's face and would remain there for the rest of the day.

On Eleanor's side of the happening, with her mind still swirling in and out the memory of yesterday, she couldn't help but be reminded of the kind stranger. The act of kindness of the footman had reopened the memory. For a second her detective skill pointed at him being the main subject. Unfortunately, she lacked any mystery solving skills and was horribly off with her deduction.

A slight humming was heard from her lips at the thought of the man from yesterday. When she caught herself doing so she snapped her head in the direction of where the footman had left. A red blush covered her face by thinking he might have heard. If he did, then she would be embraced for her entire life. Luckily, he hadn't and only the embarrassment of the fall lingered in her mind. By now she had fallen to many times to even care.

She slowly got up, like a turtle getting back on its belly. She brushed the dust of her dress and started walking again.

When she finally reached the kitchen, it was in full swing. The cooks were running from pan to pan and the helpers were getting all their ingredients ready. The fire was turned max and the sound of shuddering bacon was heard throughout, together with the murmur of the deliverers gossiping, the cooks barking orders, the demi chefs discussing the destination of each plate and in the back ground the whistling of the kettle. Every one walked crisscross past each other, sometimes bumping in on each other by accident, ever rarely on purpose. What yesterday was an empty dead room, besides the hot oatmeal, was now a source of life.

She decided to stay out of the way by leaning against a bare wall.

In the corner she was closest by, she noticed a young maid waxing the floor. she knelt down to her eye level and whispered, "Pssst- can I ask why you are all fiercely working at this early hour." She had tried to be as quiet as she could not to disturb the so hard working personnel. The maid however was as lost in thought as she had a few minutes earlier. It took a finger snap and a wave in front of her eyes to make her realise someone was talking to her, all the while she kept waxing.

When the maid did realise she had almost jumped up from the scare. Eleanor immediately put a hand on her mouth so she would not shriek. The maid apologised and crouched down. Eleanor asked the question again, this time she did answer.

With a soft timid voice, she spoke, "It's all for the men that came to visit you, your highness."

"What?!" Besides her best efforts to try to stay as silent as possible, had the shriek still left her lips. The entire kitchen activity stopped abruptly. Everyone looked in their direction. To avoid even more embarrassed, she slowly crawled towards the door leaving the maid behind. A stunned look was seen on her face.

A waiter walked unfortunately, at the same moment through the door. He stumbled over her crouching figure. Making the metal plates cling on the hard wooden floor. She stopped for a moment hoping the stares would stop, but they remained. She tried her best to stay invisible but knew their fiercely look felt like needles poking in her back, so she crawled further. The second she was around the corner their stares would focus on the young waxing maid. She gave of a bumbling smile and went back to work. The rest of the workers soon followed, making her more at ease. She was more fit for the shadows anyway.

When the princess had made it safe behind the corner she let out a big sigh. Slowly she stood up on her feet.

 _Oh jee, now I still haven't found anything to eat._ She thought walking away from the kitchen. She thought on where the go next but her sore feet told her to go back to her room instead.

Once there she plopped down in her chair and laid her head in her hands. In the corner of the cabinet remained the unanswered letters she had gotten from her father. She gave them a quick glance before she stuffed her face in her arms again. Like the night before, the voice of the stranger swarmed her mind. Every word he had said remained like an echo in her mind.

" _I 'didn't mean to make you sad." Or was it cry._ She had almost forgotten the exact words. A small panic went through her mind. She didn't want to already be forgetting him. How was it that she still remembered al his other exact words but not this one? She pondered. It felt like there was something that didn't fit. Like a missing piece of a puzzle or trying to see through fog. It seemed that she could almost place her finger on it. Maybe even why she had found him so familiar feeling.

She hurriedly started searching through al her drawers, in the hope of maybe finding somewhere a clue to the mystery that entailed the green eyed man. She looked through al her books, maybe she had seen his face in there perhaps? She looked through, history, legends, fairy tales, old romances and even her children's books. But nowhere was the face of her handsome stranger to be found.

Eventually she stumbled upon a leaf cataloguer. It was an old book that so said held the records of all the leaf's in their entire forest.

She slowly skimmed the pages, rather hopeless of finding her mysterious man. The pages were dusty and felt soft under her touch due to aging. The book reeked of decay like something was slowly dying inside for a very long time.

When she reached a page with a folded corner she found the origin of the smell. A berk leaf was nestled between the papers. It's moist had overtime smudged the ink on the pages. She lifted it up, gently so not to break it or damage its fragile structure even more. The leaf was in a nice round form. The colour was almost brown due to its age. She slowly muttered to herself, "I should have taken it out sooner. What a waste of such a beautiful leaf." Her mind drifted to the time she found it. It had still been stuck on her dress when she arrived home after…

 _Oh my!_ She jumped up from her chairs. The thoughts of that day swirled her mind combined with the memories of yesterday. "The green eyes they match!" She yelled all of a sudden out of joy.

But the joy didn't stay long, for it was quickly replaced by confusion. _But if that's true than that means he's…. He's still alive! And I saw him!_ A tear ran down her cheek of joy mixed with relief for his safety. _But if so, why did he not mention it? He must have forgotten about me or maybe he lost his memo-._ She shook her head at the thought. Surely he couldn't have forgotten about her, could he?

"Surely not!" she exclaimed

The nervousness and lack of answers made her pace around the room. She walked up and down, made a swirl and did it again. She swirled so fast after another she even started to feel dizzy. Tired she fell on her bed and covered her eyes. It was probably not even true, she gestured. _Like everything I'm probably overthinking this._ She thought the pang of disappointment hit her rather hard. It felt like she had raised her hopes to high and her own mind was trying to break them down.

She glanced at the clock. 9:27. It was about time for her mother to arrive. And like on cue the door sprung open and there stood the queen. A disappointing frown squeezed her eyebrows together.

With loud voice she said, "I can't belief that you are _still_ in bed! Chop, chop! We have _lots_ to do." Her finger snap made a group of maids appear. Right and left they tried to pull out of the bed. In a matter of seconds, she was ready and dressed. The dizzy feeling from earlier came back and if it wasn't for the maid holding her up she might faint. It might also have had to do with the too tight corset she was wearing. She tried to loosen it a bit but an older looking maid slapped her hand away.

In a rather posh accent she said, "Now, Princess. You know that _this_ is what it takes for a nice posture."

"Loss of breath?" She countered. The maid and the queen gave each other a look and shook their head.

"No, no, no. That's _not_ how a lady should think. Think of it, more as a punch for more elegancy, than a disturbance." Now, everyone in the room knew that the objective, 'more elegancy', was going to be nearly impossible to reach. She had no feeling for grace, only the tiny bit she had to show to the people on public occasion's. Mostly it was due the adventurous spirit of the princess. And even though it had dimmed severely after the disappearance of Darius, the core still remained.

It might even be renewed after the founding of the leaf. If only her hunches about the two boys were correct.


End file.
